Jan 3rd: Wonder.

“Ten times a day something happens to me like this - some strengthening throb of amazement - some good sweet emphatic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.”                     ~ Mary Oliver
 

She watched the defining moments of 2016. She shed tears of sadness not for her own life but others. The world went a little crazy in 2016, and many of us were happy to see the end of the year. They kicked it to the kerb and embraced 2017 filled with hope. It has to be better than last year, they said.

She didn't feel this way. She enjoyed a good life this year. She set a goal to see the wonder in her everyday. She set a goal to "be the weirdo who enjoys this creative life". She set a goal to find calm in the chaos. She set a goal to fill her soul with attentiveness. Of course, she felt the highs and lows of life, the good days and the bad ones. But she kept steering herself back to wonder. She doesn't live a perfect life; it is flawed and technically incorrect like her images. But with each wave of good or not so good, see looked for wonder. Some days, she filled her bucket with moments of wonder. Other days, not so much. Her goal is not to have buckets of wonder but to keep her eyes and heart open for the moments. She takes her camera with her to share these moments and tell her story.

Does she have new goals for 2017? No! Why change what is working; if it ain't broke then why fix it. If she gave her goals one word, what would that be?  Wonder! Always wonder!